Engine cowl structure for outboard motors



Nov. 10, 1959 E. c. KIEKHAEFER 2,911,937

ENGINE COWL STRUCTURE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed July 29, 1955 1 2Sheets-Sheet 1 29 a Q 3 10 22 l 2 5 1 aa 3/ 5 0 a0 0 TI a 3 Z sea? O /a3W 0 O INVENTOR.

flMf/P @KlEKi-Mffffl? BY Fl6./. J

AT TORNEYS Nov. 10, 1959 E. c. KIEKHAEFER ENGINE COWL STRUCTURE FOROUTBOARD MOTORS Filed July 29. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. H MH? 6.MEKHAEFH? wd /auz ,4 T TOl-PNE VS United States Patent 2,911,931 ENGINECOWL STRUCTURE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer, Cedarburg,Wis.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,317

*1 Claim. (Cl. 11517) This invention relates to outboard motors and moreparticularly to the structure supporting and enclosing the engine.

The invention is directed to the outer structure of an outboard motorand provides an improved mounting of the motor within the cowl.

According to the invention, the outboard motor including an enginehaving a crankshaft and an exhaust chamber opening downwardly thereof isprovided with an upper and a lower cowl member to enclose the engine. Ashelf structure is formed interiorly of the lower cowl member forreceiving and seating the base of the engine and is provided with adownwardly extending portion having an upper opening for receiving thecrankshaft and the exhaust of the engine. The downwardly extendingportion of the lower cowl member is further provided with bearings forsupporting the engine for pivotal movement on a vertical axis and isconnected to the lower exhaust discharge housing which extends into thewater and carries the underwater propeller unit.

The drawings furnished herewith illustrate the best mode of carrying outthe invention as presently contemplated and set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an outboard motor as secured to thetransom of a boat and with parts thereof broken away and sectioned toshow the engine cowl structure of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the outboard motor shown in Figure 1 withparts of the cowl broken away and sectioned to show the engine and driveshaft; and

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

The outboard motor shown in the drawings includes the clamp bracket 1adapted to be secured to the boat transom '2. The swivel bracket 3 iscarried by bracket 1 for tilting adjustment on the horizontal transversepin 4 and is provided rearwardly with the vertical pin 5.

The engine 6 provided with a fiat base 7 includes the crankcase 8carrying a vertical crankshaft connected at its lower end 9 with theupper end of the drive shaft 10.

The flywheel 11 mounted on the upper end of the crankshaft and above theengine encloses the magneto, not shown, which includes the stator plate12 which is rotatable for adjustment by means of the lever 13 extendingforwardly of the engine for controlling the speed of the motor. Thestarter ratchet drive wheel 14 is fixed with respect to flywheel 11 onthe upper end of the crankshaft by the nut 15 and is engageable by thepawls 16 of the rewind-rope starter unit 17 supported above the engine.

The lower end of drive shaft 10 is journally supported in the upperportion of the underwater propulsion unit 18 which is partially shownand the pump impeller 19 mounted above on shaft 10 operates within theeccentric pump housing 20 disposed in the lower end of the drive shafthousing 21.

The single, cast member 22 has an upper bowl-shaped portion whichcomprises the lower cowl 23 of engine 6. The upper dimension of cowl 23is horizontal and flat to support the upper cowl member 24 mounteddirectly thereon. Cowl member 24 encloses the upper portion of engine 6and carries the short, fixed shaft 25 above and in alignment with theengine crankshaft and starter ratchet drive wheel 14. The rewind-ropestarter sheave 26 mounted on shaft 25 carries the pawls 16 adapted toengage wheel 14 for starting the engine upon pulling of the free end,not shown, of the rope 27 wound on sheave 26. Cowl 24 is removablysecured to cowl 23 by the rear bolt 28 shown and corresponding otherbolts, not shown, spaced around the matching peripheries of the cowls.

The lower portion 29 of member 22 houses shaft 10 immediately beneathengine 6. The corresponding adjacent ends of housings 29 and 21 arejoined by the bolts 30 set in the inwardly formed, aligned bosses 31 and32 of the respective housings which together define the chamber 53. Theenlarged upper end of housing 29 is entirely open and unobstructed toreceive the exhaust of the engine which is passed through the chamber 33to the nozzle 34 of housing 21 disposed underwater and directedrearwardly for discharge of the exhaust gases into the propellerslip-stream.

According to the invention, cowl 23 forms a flanged rim reinforcing theupper end of the drive shaft housing 21 and supporting the base 7 ofengine 6 which is seated thereon over the upper open end of the driveshaft housing 21 so that the exhaust opening 35 shown in dotted lines inthe base 7 of engine 6 communicates directly with chamber 33.

The socket 36 formed in cowl 23 and opening downwardly in front ofhousing 29 is adapted to receive the rubber cushion element 37 mountedon the upper end of pin 5 and vertically supporting the motor on bracket3. The lug 38 formed integrally with housing 21 and forwardly thereofcarries the rubber sleeve 39 fitting the lower end of pin 5 and is inaxial alignment with socket 36 whereby the motor is turnable on the axisof pin 5 and relative to the boat for steering.

The rim formed by lower cowl 23 provides circumferential reinforcementof the upper end of the drive shaft housing and a flat base to which theengine may be firmly secured. The reinforcement is located immediate tothe main support of the motor by the clamp bracket assembly and providesthe rigidity required for the structure.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as withinthe scope of the following claim particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:

In an outboard motor, a power unit comprising an engine and underwaterpropeller unit connected by a vertical drive shaft, a housing for saidpower unit comprising as one member thereof a unitary tubular cast metalmember flared upwardly to house at least a portion of the engine at itsupper end and at least a portion of the drive shaft at its lower end,said member having a flat upwardly facing horizontal shelf spacedlongitudinally from its 3 ends and adapted to support the engine, abracket for supporting said power unit upon the transom of a boat andcomprising a vertical steering pin, a downwardly facing socket formedintegral with the underside of the shelf in said housing member andproviding a bearing support for the power unit upon the upper end ofsaid pin, whereby the engine support shelf and bearing socket arereinforced by portions of said tubular housing member extending aboveand below the same, a lower housing member removably secured to thelower end of said first named housing member, andan upwardly facingsocket formed integral with the lower housing member and providing abearing receiving the lower end of said pin, said sockets being inalignment and assembled upon opposite ends of said pin when said housingmembers are assembled together and secured.

5 References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,351,050 Karey June 13, 2,549,479 Kiekhaefer Apr. 17, 10 2,676,559Davies Apr. 27,

FOREIGN PATENTS 7,267 Great Britain of

